Editing Windows Internet Name Service

{{short description|Microsoft's implementation of NetBIOS Name Service}}
{{Distinguish|text = WINS, a software [[solution stack]]}}

'''Windows Internet Name Service''' ('''WINS''') is a Microsoft [[name resolution (computer systems)|name resolution]] service, introduced in 1994 with [[Windows NT 3.5]], for translating [[NetBIOS]] names to [[IP address]]es. NetBIOS names are an older naming convention used for local name resolution before [[Domain Name System|DNS]] became ubiquitous. WINS is mostly unnecessary for modern networks unless legacy systems require it. The rise of DNS, especially through Microsoft's [[Active Directory]] service's DNS support, made WINS effectively obsolete by the mid-2000s. Microsoft documentation advises not to use WINS on networks not requiring it.<ref>[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/networking/technologies/wins/wins-top Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) | Microsoft Docs]</ref>

==Details==
WINS is [[Microsoft]]'s implementation of the [[NBNS|NetBIOS Name Service]] (NBNS), a name server and service for NetBIOS computer names. Effectively, WINS is to NetBIOS names what DNS is to [[domain name]]s — a central mapping of host names to network addresses. Like the DNS, it is implemented in two parts, a server service (that manages the [[Jet Database Engine|embedded Jet Database]], server to server replication, service requests, and conflicts) and a [[TCP/IP]] client component which manages the client's registration and renewal of names, and takes care of queries.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
;Official sources
* [https://technet.microsoft.com/library/bb727015.aspx Microsoft TechNet: Windows Internet Name Service Overview] (Chapter 12 of the downloadable book "TCP/IP Fundamentals for Microsoft Windows")
* [https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc736411.aspx Microsoft TechNet: WINS Technical Reference]
* [https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc739208.aspx Microsoft TechNet: WINS Concepts]
* [http://support.microsoft.com/kb/837391 MSKB837391: Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange 2000 Server require NetBIOS name resolution for full functionality]
;Other
* [https://www.samba.org/samba/docs/using_samba/ch07.html Name Resolution] chapter in [https://www.samba.org/samba/docs/using_samba/toc.html Using Samba] online book (also published by O'Reilly as {{ISBN|0-596-00256-4}}), which talks about WINS.

{{Windows Components}}

[[Category:Microsoft server technology]]
[[Category:Windows communication and services]]


{{Windows-stub}}